


The Battle Rages On

by phidari



Category: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Genre: Fix-It, Gen, Kain's Tale: Return of the Dragoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 19:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8934010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phidari/pseuds/phidari
Summary: Dark Kain battles Edward in Damcyan. Rosa actually does something.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlnamedlance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlnamedlance/gifts).



> One fix-it fic in which Rosa actually behaves like the capable White Mage everyone says she is, coming right up!

The battle between Kain and Edward raged amidst the burnt ruins of the Damcyan throne room. Kain leapt and lunged, thrusting his spear over and over into the illusionary copies of Edward that Rosa had created with Blink. When he finally managed to land a hit, the multiple layers of Protect cast upon the king were enough to keep him standing, and Rosa quickly restored the Blink spell and then healed him.

"Kain, stop this!" Rosa cried.

Missing his mark once again, Kain growled with frustration. " _You_ stop this, Rosa. It's futile! Once I kill Cecil you will be— oof!" He reeled, struck with a blow from Edward's harp.

As he geared up to lunge into the air once more, Rosa waved her hand and cried, "Slow!" Then it was Edward's turn— "Haste!"

Edward may have been faster and nigh immune to attack, but he was doing very little in the way of stopping Kain's assault. Kain just kept going, even in slow motion, even as blow after blow from Edward's harp fell upon him.

"I fear this is not enough, Rosa," Edward said as she reapplied Blink yet again. "Sooner or later he will break through our defenses. We must stop him before that happens."

Inwardly, Rosa cursed herself. If she hadn't been lax in her magical training over the past many years, she could have ended this with a Holy spell. It wouldn't kill Kain—and that wasn't what she wanted, anyway—but it would have brought an end to the fighting. "There is one thing I can do," she said, and Edward nodded; he knew what she was planning.

"Berserk!"

A red burst of magical energy surrounded Edward. His face became impassive, and he was now intent on only one thing: Taking out his enemy. He stopped hesitating. His attacks hit harder. But Rosa knew that he would stop at nothing, even if Kain were on the brink of death; so while she continued to heal and buff Edward, she held a Dispell in reserve for just the right moment.

Edward may not have been the most powerful fighter, but with Rosa on his side even he was able to make Kain stagger.

Kain chuckled and wheezed. "You think this... is enough to stop me?" He produced a small blue object from somewhere—Rosa gasped when he held it up in the air.

"An Arctic Wind? Where—"

All at once a powerful ice spell let loose from Kain's hand, homing in on Edward. Blink and Protect were wonderful defensive spells, but Rosa hadn't accounted for the possibility of Black Magic coming into play. Edward cried out with pain and collapsed to the ground, unconscious and beaten.

"And now, Rosa..." Kain was moving quicker by the moment; Rosa's Slow spell was wearing off. "I will make good on my promise. Cecil will die by my hand, and then you will belong to me!"

She hadn't wanted to do this, but it looked like she had no choice. With a wave of her hand, Rosa called out, "Hold!"

Kain froze in place. Beneath his dragoon helmet, his eyes widened in shock. Unable to move his mouth, he choked out two syllables that might have been _Ro-sa_.

While Kain was immobile, Rosa knelt by Edward and revived him, sighing with relief when she felt his muscles begin to twitch. "I won't let you do this, Kain. I don't know what you're really after, but—"

Footsteps echoed on the stairway leading to the throne room. Three familiar figures burst through the door, out of breath from running. One was Cid, who had been manning the airship. And the others...

"Mother!" Ceodore cried.

"...aha," said the other man. "So _this_ is where I find you."

Edward groaned and pushed himself to his knees. "Who..."

Rosa blinked with disbelief. She glanced from Kain—the paralyzed armor-clad Kain—to the man standing with her son, who was also... "Kain?!"

**Author's Note:**

> And we all know what happens next: Canon ensues.
> 
> Happy holidays!


End file.
